Personality Sells… Scripts Don’t

2092010

Picture this: You are sitting down to a nice dinner with your family and the phone rings. Oh joy! The moment you have been waiting for! You answer the phone with great anticipation. Finally, you will have the pleasure of listening to the telemarketer read off of a script to tell you how to consolidate your debt for a fraction of what you owe. The dulcet monotone, the canned responses, the complete lack of regard for you as a human being. Simply delightful. Aren’t you happy you answered your phone to be read to?

Now back to reality – of course the story above is ridiculous. People HATE telemarketers because they have to listen to a person vapidly regurgitate words off of a screen. There is no enthusiasm, no inflection, and most importantly no interaction.

As sales reps, often we have to make our first touch-points with potential clients over the phone. Unless you enjoy being hung up on, you have about 3 seconds to to build rapport and differentiate yourself from the telemarketers of the world. We need to convey that there is an actual person on the other side of the line. Sales people as a whole are usually bright and enthusiastic individuals. If you can just show that something special to your prospect, you have a much better chance of gaining a meeting, making a sale, and building lasting loyalty.

Here are some great tips to help you keep from sounding “phone-y”:

Don’t use a script – use a bullet-points of important facts and phrases

Be considerate of their time and always ask permission to speak to them ex:Do you have a minute?

Reference any current events relevant to their industry or company

Raise your eyebrows while you talk. Don’t knock it till you try it.

Laughter is amazing at bringing down barriers. Use it when (heaven forbid!) you mispronounce a name, trip up on your words, or do something else silly. Chances are they will laugh too

Stand up

If at the end of the day, you must rely on a script, make your script sound as much like you as you can. Use your own phrases, nuances, and flaws in the script to make sure that you are still being you. Remember – you were hired because you are a SALES person, not because you have the ability to read.